1918

Vacation was great and we’re back now. What a trip. Went to Baltimore first, where they open up crabs with little wooden mallets. They also have a beautiful ballpark there and the Orioles beat the Angels. Then it was on to New York City (for the first time since I was a little kid). Once Ruthie figured out how to work the subway and I got used to the bigness of the whole thing, we had a good time. Got to see the Yanks twice (vs. Cleveland and Toronto) and tour The Stadium. Wow. Saw Derek Jeter leave after the game in a black Benz that looked like it had been washed during the game. We also got to see Man of LaMancha on Broadway—very nice (more on that at a later date). And the top of the Empire State Building.

From NYC to Cooperstown, NY, population 1800. What a nifty little town. We hadn’t been there for a half an hour when I found myself talking to Clete Boyer! Got the impression from the locals that that’s not an uncommon kind of thing. Okay. Hall of Fame was as good as I had hoped, but it doesn’t take long and by our third day in Cooperstown all that was left to do was tour a local microbrewery and read all day. (Which are both pleasant things). Then on to Boston…

…Which sucked. Hard town to navigate, but we were just there long enough to check in to the hotel, catch the Yanks @ Fenway, sleep, check out and head for home (by way of Pittsburgh). Fenway was the best ballpark we saw, though the fans there are so preoccupied with hating on the Yankees that they have to remember to actually cheer for the Red Sox.

Stopped overnight in Pittsburgh on the way home and stayed with our friends the Gills. They’re way toward the top of the list of people we don’t see enough and it was good to visit, even briefly. Then the five hour drive home, where the world had continued to turn in my absence (that always disappoints me a little).

More later.